Would you like an enhanced immune system, reduced stress, and a slower aging process? Welcome to the wonderful world of adaptogens. These compounds and herbs have the capacity to bring balance to our bodies and, potentially, to our world. Let’s explore what they are, how they work, and why they are so important.
What is an Adaptogen?
The study of adaptogens goes back thousands of years in Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine. These systems for health understood disease as simply being a body that is out of balance. Plants, herbal compounds, and exercises were prescribed as a means to restore balance and health to the body. Starting in 1947, Soviet researchers, Israel I. Brekhman and Dr. Nicolai Lazerev, were the first to clinically study and validate the healing properties of adaptogens.
Adaptogens assist our body in maintaining homeostasis – a stable internal environment, regardless of external conditions. For example, if we are tired they will energize us, if we are hyperactive they will calm our system. Brekhman and Lazerev studied more than 189 plants during 45 years of searching for adaptogenic qualities, but only found a few that could be classified as adaptogens.
How Do they Work?
First and foremost, adaptogens help our bodies by reducing inflammation and hormonal stress responses. They reduce cortisol and calm the stress enzyme (JNK), which causes inflammation. Adaptogens also have antioxidant action that counteract oxidative compounds that decrease ATP (energy) generation in the system. Oxidants are free radicals produced within the body or gathered from the environment which can help fend off viruses or microbes. But they can also be very damaging to our health.
Unlike a specific phyto (plant) nutrient or vitamins, herbal adaptogens are unique in the way they are able to protect the mitochondria from stress-induced damage because they actually stimulate the cell to produce proteins that help resist stress and enhance longevity. For this reason they are used in many anti-aging formulations. Another characteristic of adaptogens is that they help regulate the immune and nervous systems and have antidepressant and amphoteric effects on the body. – Anne Baker, Nourish Holistic Nutrition
Key Characteristics of Adaptogens
- Stress Regulation: Adaptogens help to modulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. This balances cortisol levels, aiding the body in managing both physical and emotional stress.
- Non-Specific Action: They enhance the body’s ability to resist a wide range of stressors (e.g., physical, environmental, and emotional) without targeting a specific illness.
- Restorative Properties: Adaptogens normalize bodily functions. They do this by stimulating or calming systems as needed, helping to achieve equilibrium.
What Plants are Considered Adaptogens?
Dr. David Winston lists 13 primary adaptogenic herbs:
American Ginseng root
Ashwagandha root
Asian Ginseng root
Cordyceps
Dang Shen root
Eleuthero root
Holy Basil herb
Jiaogulan herb
Licorice rhizome
Reishi fungus
Rhaponticum root
Rhodiola root
Wu Wei Zi berries/seeds (Schisandra)
Some herbalists also include Astragalus and Maca Root in this list. It is important to note that choosing fresh, organic herbs always yields the best results. Incorporating these into your daily diet is much better than rushing to the store when you are sick to buy a bottle of supplements. Tea is a great way to ingest them, and can be part of a daily relaxing and contemplative personal ritual. One of my favorites is Tulsi Rose Tea with a little honey or maple syrup before bed.
Adaptation is Key to Evolution
What can we learn from adaptogens? Much like how they bring balance to our bodies, we must we also adapt to our changing environment to bring balance to ourselves and our community.
We live in a dynamic universe that is always in flux, where change is the only constant. So clinging too tightly to anything fixed may leave you feeling left behind. Neuroplasticity, the ability to adjust to change is essential for health and well-being. We also have practices like yoga, which allow us to be physically flexible. Mediitation allows us to be psychologically and emotionally flexible. Both of these have benefits to our health.
As we grow and develop, we face a variety of environmental challenges. By being equipped with an adaptive plasticity, we can develop new traits in response to imposed conditions. This is called adaptive plasticity. When we are flexible and able to bend we are less likely to break.
The capacity to acclimate in any situation is based on our ability to learn, to take in new information, integrate it, and thrive. The concept of adaptive plasticity can also be applied to social, or even global, communities. Rigid systems can’t accommodate change as well as fluid systems.
Effects on the Community, Society, and Planet
Our bodies are amazing in that they continuously strive to maintain balance – or equilibrium – internally. Even when faced with external changes. This concept of equanimity (homeostasis) can be applied to our physiological system through healthy diet and lifestyle. It can also be applied to our mental well-being through practices like meditation. Our bodies adapt in positive ways through yoga, exercise, and other disciplines. Homeostasis is also something that communities, and nations, strive for.
There is a constant dynamic tension between homeostasis and creative change. Too much change at once can disrupt internal balance. Too little change can lead to stagnation. – Psychology Today
We understand that adaptogens can bring balance to our body, mind, and spirit. Now how does this translate to our community, society, and planet? We know that the world is inflamed with fear and stress, that many people have lost their connection to balance.
When we take care of ourselves through healthy diet, meditation, yoga, time in nature, along with many other practices, we become balanced and able to adapt. We are also becoming more aware of the ways that we influence, and are influenced by, our friends and community.
World peace, and global homeostasis for humans, begins on an individual basis from within. Individually we can find communities dedicated to this process. Together we can apply an adaptogenic philosophy onto global affairs to restore balance. By promoting physical health, mental resilience, and sustainable living, adaptogens can contribute to a healthier, more harmonious society. Healthy individuals are empowered to thrive and communities are strengthened when we take this approach.
